Kirsten Talken-Spaulding: Motorcycling Park Ranger! (164)

The U.S. National Park Service was affected by cuts to government agencies in the first quarter of 2025. We reached out to find out more from a motorcyclist’s perspective and spoke at length with Kirsten Talken-Spaulding, who is a Deputy Regional Director with the NPS. This episode includes news on motorcycle thievery, KTM’s numbers and more! Chasing the Horizon is brought to you by the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America. Get all the links for our guest and the news on the show notes page on chasingthehorizon.us.

We all know Peter Egan, the renowned motorcycle journalist. He wrote about cars, too, for a long time. Now he's got a new book—Landings in America—about a motorcycle-like journey he and his wife took in a Piper Cub two-seater airplane. We find time to talk about bikes, too, of course! This episode includes news on Harley-Davidson, Royal Enfield, Triumph, Energica and more! Chasing the Horizon is brought to you by the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America. Get all the links for our guest and the news on the show notes page on chasingthehorizon.us.

Many of us put on our helmets every day to go ride, but we never really think about how effective they’re going to be at preventing traumatic brain injuries. That appears to be all John Lloyed thinks about; after testing hundreds of helmets, he’s arrived at some fairly startling conclusions. He relates his study in this episode, which also features Mark Barnes, host of the podcast “The Ride Inside.” Due to the length and detailed depth of the conversation with John and Mark, this episode contains no news segment. Chasing the Horizon is brought to you by the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America. Get all the links for our guest and the news on the show notes page on chasingthehorizon.us.

Motorcyclists do a lot of different things. Kurtis Minder spends his days (on or off the bike) thinking about how to protect you from cyber criminals, and he relates his ideas, methods, successes, challenges and more in his first book, Cyber Recon: My Life in Cyber Espionage and Ransomware Negotiation. Whether he’s chewing up tires on a Ducati sport bike or taking in scenery on an adventure bike, bad guys are never far from his mind. This episode includes news on KTM, LiveWire, Honda, Triumph and more! Chasing the Horizon is brought to you by the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America. Get all the links for our guest and the news on the show notes page on chasingthehorizon.us.

From backpacking to motorcycling and the original Itchy Boots travel blog to a YouTube channel with 2.8 million subscribers (including me), Noraly Schoenmaker has traveled the world and spent hundreds of hours telling us all about her journey. Add depth to the story by reading her first book, Free Ride: Heartbreak, Courage and the 20,000-Mile Motorcycle Journey That Changed My Life, now available through major retailers and etailers. Chasing the Horizon is a podcast by, for & about motorcyclists brought to you by the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America. Get all the links for our guest and the news on the show notes page on chasingthehorizon.us.

Garmin has been largely synonymous with motorcycle navigation for the better part of two decades, and now they're getting deeper into the safety game. Lead Product Manager Don Schmidt spent some time with us discussing their new zūmo R1 radar/alert system intended to make riders more aware of what's in their blind spots. Chasing the Horizon is a podcast by, for & about motorcyclists brought to you by the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America. Get all the links for our guest and the news on the show notes page on chasingthehorizon.us.

MARK LONG: Starting a new podcast is a crapshoot in any niche, but motorcycling is already a niche market, making running a successful podcast that much more difficult. We find out about how Mark's Driven To Ride podcast has built a loyal following and of course get caught up on industry news. Chasing the Horizon is a podcast by, for & about motorcyclists brought to you by the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America. Get all the links for our guest and the news on the show notes page on chasingthehorizon.us.

DANIEL VETTER: Bosch’s Advanced Rider Assistance System is coming soon to KTM and is no doubt following on other premium brands like BMW, Ducai and Harley. We dig into a nuts-and-bolts discussion of the six primary systems in ARAS to get real information on how this technology will affect motorcyclists around the world. Chasing the Horizon is a podcast by, for & about motorcyclists brought to you by the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America. Get all the links for our guest and the news on the show notes page on chasingthehorizon.us.

UNDERSTANDING RECALLS: Everything you ever wanted to know about recalls (and more!) with *three* departmental heads from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (a division of the U.S. Department of Transportation). Chasing the Horizon is a podcast by, for & about motorcyclists brought to you by the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America. Get all the links for our guest and the news on the show notes page on chasingthehorizon.us.

MOTOCYCO TOURING ADVENTURES: Three biker buddies decided to go into business together—as motorcycle tour providers in New England. Listen in to gain insight into how that works, what obstacles they face and where they intend to take the business. Chasing the Horizon is a podcast by, for & about motorcyclists brought to you by the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America. Get all the links for our guest and the news on the show notes page on chasingthehorizon.us.